


Number Two

by cookiesandcreambrownies



Series: Three Fundamental Truths [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: (yay!), ...again, Alexander Hamilton is Alec Schuyler, And while I'm not sure if I wrote it true to life, Angelica will never not be a badass, F/M, Happy Ending, Heavy depictions of PTSD, IMPORTANT:, If you think this might be triggering then DO NOT READ, Inspired by the next lyric in Satisfied, John dies in this one, Just not in the way you think it is, Lots and Lots of Death, Mentions of Suicide, SPOILER ALERT:, The Reynolds Pamphlet is still involved, There's a divorce in here too, Trigger warnings:, War, Your mental health is always more important than any story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiesandcreambrownies/pseuds/cookiesandcreambrownies
Summary: Alec Schuyler, the oldest son and second Schuyler sibling... well, you'll see how it goes.Ft. Alec Schuyler, Gilbert "usually off in France" du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Eliza "nothing like real life" Hamilton Schuyler, John "exactly like real life" Laurens, and the rest of these hopeless messes.Oh, and Mattie the housekeeper.
Relationships: Aaron Burr/Theodosia Prevost Burr, Adrienne de Lafayette/Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler
Series: Three Fundamental Truths [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911835
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Number Two

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG  
> If you want an explanation, please read the end notes. 
> 
> IMPORTANT: Heed the warnings and tags. Just in case, I'll put it here again-  
> Tw: mentions of suicide, death, violence, heavy depictions of PTSD

Alec, Lex to his friends, meets John Laurens early on in his life. Really early on. 

They actually meet for the first time (not that he remembers it) when they’re both three, at a gala that his family (or was it John’s family?) was holding. Of course, being two similarly-aged boys from two families of high status in the colonies, they're put together a lot over the years. Lex can’t really remember a time when John wasn’t there. 

His fifth birthday party? Definitely. 

John’s thirteenth birthday? Yup. 

And, of course, that brings them here to today. Their joint “be presented to society” ball-gala-thing, which Lex has no particular interest in attending. He’d much rather be out hunting, or maybe in the town square, listening to the speeches. The revolution seems interesting enough. Even cooking, which usually ends with him and Angel being chased out of the kitchen by the cooks, sounds fun - he hasn’t had much practice since coming back from France. 

“I really wish I didn’t have to do this,” Lex says to Angel, his older sister. His only older sibling, actually. 

She sighs. “I know.” 

“I don’t see the point.” 

“I know.” 

“I mean, look at you! Your presentation ball was useless, wasn’t it?” 

“Yes, and I didn’t find a suitor that I liked, yadda yadda, how many times have we gone over this already, Lex?” 

She’s got a point. “Many times,” he allows reluctantly. 

“Uh-huh. Now, I don’t want to hear your griping for the thousandth time, so please refrain from doing so _while I’m helping you with your cravat_.” 

Oh, yeah. Another relatively annoying part of playing the grown-up bachelor: the clothes. Yeah, they look nice, but Lex cannot for the life of him figure out why the ruffles and the shiny baubles and the lace trims are necessary. Does he really need to look quite so dressed up? 

His opinion, of course, is no. But his mother certainly thinks so, and therefore he has to dress like a “proper gentleman.” 

Since there’s no point in arguing - Angel has always been able to keep up with him in an argument, and once they actually get started, it’s a pretty loud affair - he stands as still as possible while she knots the cravat around his neck, tugs it twice, and huffs in satisfaction. “There.” 

“Thanks, Angel.” 

She gives him a small smile and pulls him into a hug before releasing him and pushing him in the general direction of the door, where - and Lex doesn’t know when this happened - John is waiting. 

“John!” 

“Hey, Lex. Looking nice.” John gives him a grin. 

Behind him, Angel snorts. “No thanks to him, obviously.” 

“Angelica Schuyler, are you implying that your younger brother can’t dress up nicely?” 

“Would it be better if I stated it outright?” she asks faux-innocently. Lex knows that look - she’s trying not to laugh her head off. 

John pretends to consider. “Fair.” 

“Traitors, the lot of you,” he says, rolling his eyes, as the two of them break out in laughter. 

The three of them make their way to the ground floor, where Mother and Father - and Mr. and Mrs. Laurens - are waiting. Father sees them first and nods in approval. 

“Angelica, your sisters are waiting in the ballroom. If you would please give us a moment?” It’s phrased as a request, but Lex and Angel both know it’s an order. That’s how it’s been since the moment they could talk. 

Angel nods and excuses herself quietly. When she exits the room, closing the door softly behind her, Father turns to Lex. 

“Make me proud, son.” 

Mr. Laurens repeats the sentiment. Lex and John trade a _look_. It’s full of things they don’t want to, and can’t, say in front of their parents. If the adults notice, no one comments. 

Oh, wait. 

_They’re_ adults now. 

Shit. 

Before he can consider the - honestly frightening - implications of that thought, he’s dutifully following Father into the ballroom as a servant announces their names. Again, Lex fights the urge to roll his eyes. It barely works. 

The assembled elite of the colonies (the Schuyler connections from the north, the Laurens connections from the south) clap politely as all eyes swing towards the six people walking through the door. Lex _hates_ being the center of attention. 

Making a break for the stables and sneaking downtown seems more and more appealing. 

The only reason he’s still here is because he owes it to the family name, to John, to Angel. To his other sisters, Peggy and Lia, and his brothers, Pip and John (a lot of people are named John). To, basically, everyone but himself. It’s not a particularly comforting thought. 

The ball gets underway fairly quickly, with copious amounts of dancing and alcohol, the latter of which he partakes in with increasing frequency, much to the delight of his siblings and John, and much to the dismay of his parents. 

Hey, if he’s an adult, might as well use his newfound status for something, even if it is not following his parents’ list of rules. For once in his life, he’s free from their expectations. 

At some point, John gets sucked into the swirling crowd on the dance floor, and he’s left with just Angel. That’s fine by him. The two of them were always the closest of all their siblings. 

“You do realize you have to socialize at your own coming-of-age ball?” she asks blithely, without any preamble. Lex has long since gotten used to the way she thinks faster than she can express her thoughts. 

He can’t fault her - it’s the same process he goes through when he has something to say. “Don’t feel like it.” 

“Too bad.” 

They sit in companionable silence before Lex gets an idea. “Alright, then. Angelica Schuyler, will you dance with me?” 

“Alec Schuyler.” She looks at him with a flat stare. 

“What?” 

“This… might just be your most impulsive idea yet.” 

Lex raises an eyebrow. He hears that sentence every other day, at the very least. “I definitely wouldn’t have come to that conclusion myself.” 

Angel snorts. “Fine.” 

He takes her hand, and they twirl out among the other young socialites who seem actually happy to be there. Lex is rather bemused by their enthusiasm. 

Angel isn’t a bad dancer - none of the Schuyler children are bad dancers, borne of years of torturous dancing lessons - and his feet know where to go, so he lets his mind drift a little as they continue to spin and step in time to the music. _I wonder what Father would say if I disappeared for a week?_

He already knows the answer - nothing. Father is, somehow, remarkably apathetic towards his children’s activities outside of formal functions like this ball. Mother isn’t much better, honestly. Lex supposes that having six children, none of whom are particularly well-behaved, is rather draining. 

The song ends, and he and Angel take a seat at their table again. Martha, John’s sister, is there, taking a bite out of her finger sandwich. It’s the least ladylike thing Lex has ever seen a girl do. Now that he thinks about it, it’s probably a testament to how elitist his upbringing was. 

He makes idle chitchat with the two of them for a while before tuning the conversation out - they’re talking about some ridiculous fashion trend, and he has no interest in that kind of stuff - and letting his eyes wander. They land on a dark-haired girl, standing awkwardly to the side. Lex has never seen her before in his life. Not part of the social elite, then. 

Maybe this ball might turn out to be interesting after all. 

He excuses himself from the conversation easily and walks towards the mystery girl. She sees him coming, and her eyes widen fractionally before she hurriedly runs out of the ballroom. Lex curses. 

As he returns to his table, John appears at his side. “Found a girl you fancy yet?” 

“Actually…” 

Of course, this has John wiggling his eyebrows and grinning like a fool. “Do tell.” 

“I don’t even know her name - she literally ran out of the room when I tried to approach her!” 

John cackles with glee. “A real-life Cinderella, huh?” 

“Hm. Sure, whatever you say.”

  


* * *

  


The next time he sees the mystery girl, Lex is on a trip downtown that he absolutely shouldn’t be on. Not that that’s ever stopped him, or Angel, and despite their father’s rules, Peggy’s joined them as well today. 

They make a stop at the haberdashery - the (very thin) pretense for coming out here - before heading to the Common, where university students and scrappy revolutionaries gather alike. Lex used to be one of them, when he was in university, but that was a while ago. Not anymore. 

They’re in luck - there’s a speech in the square, an idiotic one by the sound of it. He recognizes the face - it’s Samuel Seabury, a weirdly intense Loyalist. Lex doesn’t particularly understand where he’s coming from, but he listens in anyway. 

“These so-called ‘revolutionaries’ don’t have your best interests at heart, and neither does their Congress,” he’s saying. “Chaos and bloodshed don’t solve anything, so why should we engage in war?” 

Lex and Angel trade a look as she pushes him forward gently. He knows what she’s trying to say. 

“We’re already at war,” Lex calls out loudly. Immediately, the crowd focuses its attention on him. “Honestly, are you blind? Did you forget what happened in Boston? Dear Lord, you talk about Congress while honest men are out dying as they fight against a tyrant-” 

“The king is no tyrant-” 

“Is he not?” Lex is yelling now as he clambers onto some sort of box. John stands at his side, a faint smirk crossing his lips. “Tell me, Seabury, what has this king of ours given us? Representation? Money? Food and water?” 

Seabury frowns. “He gives us safety, obviously.” 

Lex laughs shortly as he retorts, “Of course, I should have known. Getting shot for no reason must equal safety for you, huh? Well, let me tell you - it doesn’t for me!” 

Seabury opens his mouth to shoot back with another illogical argument when someone pushes him off his makeshift dais and glares at Lex. The stranger looks vaguely familiar - it’s like Lex has seen him somewhere, but he can’t remember where. 

“I see two years hasn’t given you any better impulse control,” he says, and Lex finally places the face. 

“Burr?” 

Aaron Burr, one of Lex’s few friends at Queen’s College, nods. “Truly and honestly, Schuyler” - he’s also one of the few people who calls Lex by his last name, because everyone else is either too scared of his family’s influence or too close to his family - “I would have thought that time could mellow you out a little. Seems like I was proven wrong, for once.” 

It would be a pretentious statement on anyone else, but not Burr, because he’s a genius on par with Lex and Angel, and there are very few things he is wrong about. 

That’s not really the main thing, though. “Where’ve you been?” 

“Visiting family,” is the answer. “Now can you stop yelling in the middle of the square?” 

Lex pretends to think about it before grinning. “Fine. Only if you come over and tell me all about the two years you went missing.” 

“I didn’t-” Burr cuts himself off and groans. “I’d forgotten how annoying you were.” 

And this is precisely why Lex likes Burr - no one else would ever dare talk to him like an equal, except Angel and John. They’re either patronizing (parents and other assorted adult figures) or idolizing (everyone else). 

“You probably did,” he agrees. 

Burr steps off the dais reluctantly, and with Seabury nowhere to be seen, having made his dash from the square a while back, the crowd disperses. He walks up to the three of them with a stiff bearing that Lex recognizes from his own posture lessons. “Long time no see, Schuyler. And Laurens. And Schuyler the elder. And Schuyler the younger.” 

With a grin, Peggy waves hello. 

John smiles and elbows him in the ribs softly. “You too, Burr.” 

“Burr,” Angel allows, not entirely letting her guard down. Lex can tell she’s still much less tense and stiff than she would be with anyone else outside of family. 

By the way, John counts as family. 

Burr takes off an imaginary hat and bows shallowly. “Shall we?” 

Lex is about to reply and agree when something glints in the corner of his eye. An upbringing in wartime - or near enough that it doesn’t matter - has him turning around in case it’s the metal of a gun. 

It’s not, but it’s something even more interesting. The source of the light is the mystery girl from the ball, her hair catching the light in curious ways. Again, she sees him see her. This time, though, she makes no move to run. 

Lex leans over to John and whispers, “It’s Cinderella.” 

John looks past him to where the girl is still standing, leafing through a book. “You should go talk to her.” She raises her eyes right on cue and smiles prettily at Lex. 

He decides to talk to her - what harm will it do? Nothing, really. 

“Hello, miss,” he says as he approaches. “I didn’t get the chance to get your name at the ball.” _Because you ran off suddenly_ goes unsaid. 

She extends a hand for him to take, as propriety demands. “Oh, I’m Eliza Hamilton. And you?” 

“Alec Schuyler, at your service. Are you from around here? I’ve never seen you.” 

“No, I just moved from the Caribbean.” 

He presses a kiss to the back of her hand. “Do you have a place I can call upon?” 

“No, I live in a boarding house,” she admits, blushing. “It would be best if you could give me an address to send letters to.” 

He does so with ease. Eliza seems interesting enough, and besides, wasn’t Father always going on and on about how he needed to marry and carry on the Schuyler name? Maybe this will take him off Lex’s case for a little while longer. 

Or maybe not, if he gets it in his head that Eliza isn’t good enough for their family. Lex’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen. 

He bids Eliza goodbye and rejoins Angel, John, Peggy, and Burr, none of whom say a word. They make their way back to the carriage and head to the Schuyler manor for a long overdue talk.

  


* * *

  


Father sees Burr, nods, and goes back to reading the newspaper. Burr nods back as they climb the staircase up to the private parlor, where he, Lex, and Angel sit. Peggy goes off to do something else. 

“So,” Burr starts. “How have you been, Angelica?” 

“What, you don’t care about me?” Lex asks in mock offense. 

Burr flicks a dismissive hand at him. “You, Alec Schuyler, are a special case who’s always okay no matter the occasion.” 

Angel lets out a startled laugh. “I’ve been fine. You?” 

“Alright, given the circumstances. What happened while I was gone?” 

Lex launches into a recounting of everything that’s happened since their university days - not much, really, except for the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party - and warns him of the increasing tensions between the Loyalists and the Revolutionaries. 

Burr shrugs. “I’ve expected as much.” True to form, he says nothing of which side he supports, though Lex has his suspicions, just as he’s sure Angel has hers. 

They talk a little longer of trivial things before Burr takes his leave. As soon as he’s out the door, Angel drags Lex into her room and says, “He’s different.” 

“And not in a good way.” 

“No.” 

“But not in a bad way, either,” Lex says, frowning. 

Angel hums thoughtfully. “Not in a bad way, either. We’ll just have to see.”

  


* * *

  


When Eliza’s first letter comes, Angel’s there to read it with Lex. It’s a nice letter, fairly well written, and Lex is fast falling in love with her charming personality. 

Angel scans the paper over and frowns slightly. “Be careful with her, Lex. She’ll do anything to survive.” He barely hears her over the scratching of his quill as he drafts a reply, as eloquent as anything he’s ever written. 

Many years later, he’ll look back and wonder why he didn’t listen.

  


* * *

  


The revolution comes sooner than expected. One shot at Concord, and suddenly, the whole world watches as the colonies struggle for freedom. 

Lex knows his duty; much as the king says otherwise, it’s not to the empire - it’s to his birthplace, the colonies. And so, of course, he enlists in the militia as soon as is feasible, given that the militia is in a state of chaos and disorganization right now. 

Father approves; he was a soldier, an officer in the French and Indian War, and therefore does not protest against his eldest son’s enlistment. In some ways, Lex finds it comforting to not have to worry about what his parents might think. In other ways, he rather wishes his parents would care for once in their lives. 

There’s no use thinking about that now. 

One thing needs to be finalized before Lex marches off to the army encampment outside of New York, where he’s been granted an audience with General Washington himself: the wedding. His parents met Eliza in a hurried blur of an afternoon, a week before he heads out. She ostensibly wins them over with her charm. 

The wedding takes place the next day. 

It’s fairly large for a wartime wedding, the size only feasible because of how deep the Schuylers’ purses run. Eliza, on the other hand, has nearly no money, so Lex arranges for her to stay with his family - her family, now - while he’s off fighting. Who knows? Maybe she can get to know Angel a little better. 

Angel herself doesn’t completely disapprove of Eliza - she’s just wary of what Eliza might do, or at least that’s what Lex can pick up on. He just hopes it doesn’t go further. 

Their week together is quite wonderful. But, unfortunately, the time comes when Lex needs to leave. He does so reluctantly, and even as his horse rides down the cobblestone lane, he never once takes his eyes off the people standing in front of the door of the manor.

  


* * *

  


Washington is having a hell of a time keeping his ragtag army organized and not dead. The latter, obviously, is more important, but it’s also the part that requires a lot more work. He doesn’t exactly have time to waste on such things. 

Luckily for him, he has a few aides-de-camp to help him with paperwork, which does alleviate a lot of the stress. 

“Tench!” 

His foremost aide runs into the room. “Sir?” 

“What do I have scheduled today?” 

Tench thinks for a moment. “A meeting with the eldest Schuyler son, sir. And then another with a Mr. Burr. Plus a review of the newest recruits after lunch.” 

“Is Schuyler here yet?” It would be better if he could get the meeting with the rich and privileged over with - those always give him a headache, if only because they keep on asking for commissions that they don’t deserve. 

Tench nods. “He’s in the stables right now. Do you want me to get him, sir?” 

Washington waves a hand, dismissing him silently, and sits back in his chair to wait for Schuyler. 

He’s not disappointed. Schuyler, who has a marked resemblance to his father the general, enters the room only a few minutes later and salutes crisply. “Sir.” 

“Sit down, Schuyler.” 

Schuyler does so tentatively, but this meeting’s already going better than the vast majority of Washington’s encounters with aristocracy. No demands, no arrogance (as of yet), and most importantly, no incompetence in sight. 

Maybe, just maybe, this Schuyler can restore Washington’s faith in entitled gentlemen. 

He steeples his fingers together on the desk and leans forward. “Why are you here?” 

“I want to fight, sir. Is that a problem?” 

Washington shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant. Your conviction to the cause is admirable, but if all you wanted was to be a foot soldier, you wouldn’t have requested a meeting with me.” 

It is the honest truth, and Schuyler doesn’t bother denying it. “Every single person I’ve spoken to wants to put me in a secretarial position. I was hoping you could overrule that.” 

Secretarial… what? Why? Washington knows intelligence when he sees it, and Schuyler has it in spades - so what possesses him to speak out _against_ a secretarial position? 

He doesn’t realize he’s spoken out loud until Schuyler answers. “I want to fight.” 

_I want to fight._

__Suddenly, Washington gets it. “You want to be a martyr.”_ _

__Schuyler shrugs uncomfortably._ _

__Now that he knows what Schuyler wants, he has to make some quick calculations. First, the question of whether or not Schuyler should be given a fighting position - no. Washington owes General Schuyler a favor, and even if Schuyler isn’t his firstborn - that would be Angelica - putting his eldest son in danger won’t do him any favors with the man. Second, the question of whether or not Schuyler should be given a secretarial position - yes. The intelligence behind those eyes could potentially win the war._ _

__Now, the only question that remains is who Schuyler should be assigned to._ _

__Washington makes a decision in a split second. “No. You’ll be given a position as my aide-de-camp.”_ _

__Schuyler’s face falls for a brief moment before he schools it back into neutrality again. “Understood, sir. If I may ask a question?”_ _

__“Go ahead.”_ _

__“What of my friend, John Laurens?”_ _

__Laurens… where had he heard that name before?_ _

__Ah._ _

__Laurens, son of Henry Laurens, the senator, and yet another one of the entitled elite. “I do not know where he’s been assigned.” He’d have to ask Tench later._ _

__Schuyler nods, and with another salute, he rises from the chair and moves to leave. Just as he approaches the door, it opens, and another stranger walks in._ _

__Schuyler immediately smiles. “Burr! Didn’t know you were going to be here, too.”_ _

__“Schuyler.” It’s one word, but it conveys a wealth of exasperation, fondness, and warmth. Washington watches wordlessly._ _

__Burr notices him then, and he hurriedly salutes before Schuyler envelops him in a hug._ _

__It’s only then that Schuyler realizes they have an audience and abruptly turns around. “Sir, this is Aaron Burr, one of my friends from university-”_ _

__“He can work as an aide-de-camp on my staff as well, then,” Washington interrupts, amused. Besides, Burr is as smart as Schuyler, if he’s reading the man right, and having two minds of such caliber can only be a good thing._ _

__He waves a hand to dismiss them both, glad that he got that over with without any of the detestable pompous arrogance making an appearance from either of them, and they both smartly salute one last time before racing out of the room, talking almost faster than Washington can keep up._ _

__If anyone sees him smiling that afternoon, they’re tactful enough not to mention it._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lex sees John around the camp on the second day he’s there._ _

__“John!”_ _

__“Oh, hey, Lex, what’re you doing here?”_ _

__“I’m one of Washington’s aides-de-camp. He wouldn’t let me fight.”_ _

__John grins. “What a surprise, I’m an aide-de-camp as well. Here, let me introduce you to the rest of them.” He drags Lex by the arm to a small nondescript building near Washington’s rooms that seems to be where Lex is staying for however long the army stays here._ _

__Inside, it’s loud, crowded, and warm. John raises his voice to be heard above the noise. “Yo! We have another aide, y’all!”_ _

__As one, approximately a dozen heads swing their way. Lex waves hello._ _

__John sets about introducing them. “This is Tench, he’s the seniormost; that’s Meade, and Palfrey, Mifflin, Cobb - everyone, this is Alec Schuyler, he’s smarter than you.”_ _

__Lex punches John in the arm._ _

__“Ow, why’d you do that? It’s true!”_ _

__“Doesn’t mean you have to go around advertising it.”_ _

__They take a seat at an unoccupied table, and John’s leaning in to say something when the door opens again._ _

“ _Ce putain de temps!_ ” is the first thing he hears. Oh, this just got interesting. 

__Most people don’t know it, at first glance (or even at tenth glance), but Lex spent several years in France - he might have graduated from Queen’s, but in reality, he was in France for three of the four semesters of his university days. And then, of course, he stayed there for another one and a half years, for a total of three years spent in France, before he came back just shy of his eighteenth birthday._ _

__And then there was the gala thing… and, yeah. Here he is now._ _

“ _Pourquoi?_ ” he asks the mystery French speaker. 

__It turns out to be another stranger, insanely tall, and with the wildest curls he’s ever seen, even pulled back in a bun. His epaulets designate him as an officer or the other, so Lex is rather confused as to why this person is in the aides-de-camp’s room._ _

__“Lafayette!” John exclaims, crossing the room to hug him. Lex watches, bemused._ _

__Belatedly, John realizes Lex isn’t anywhere near him. He gives both Lex and Lafayette an apologetic look before dragging Lafayette by the arm over to their table._ _

__“Lex, this is Lafayette. Lafayette, this is Alec Schuyler, also known as Lex.”_ _

__“You’re not an aide.”_ _

__“No,” Lafayette agrees. “I’m a major general.”_ _

__“French?”_ _

“ _Oui._ ” 

__Lex gestures for both of them to sit, partly because it’s awkward talking up at someone, and partly because he thinks they must be uncomfortable standing there._ _

“ _Bon. Alors, ce putain de temps?_ ” 

Lafayette groans. “ _Absolument. Merde, le vent est si fort, je ne sais pas comment les bâtiments ne tombent pas._ ” 

__“Should I leave you to your French fuckery?” John asks with amusement. Of course, Lex forgot - John doesn’t know French well enough to understand it, or speak it; the most he can do is read and write._ _

Lafayette flips him off. “ _Con,_ ” he says without any bite. 

John takes that as a _yes_ and leaves for the bigger group of aides, and Lex suspects he may be after the bottles of beer on the table. He leaves John to his drinking and turns back to Lafayette, who is an enigma of sorts and therefore much more interesting. 

“ _Où viens-tu?_ ” Lafayette can’t be any older than him, really, and somehow Lex feels like it’s appropriate to use the informal. Hopefully he hasn’t offended. 

“ _Paris, bien sûr. Je m’appelle Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette._ ” With each name, Lex’s eyes widen a little more. 

“ _Merde, c’est si long!_ ” 

Lafayette tips his head back and laughs long and loud. When he finally stops, he tells Lex, “ _Tu n’es pas la première personne qui l’a dit._ ” 

__Lex swipes two bottles of beer from John, who’s wandered over, and hands one to Lafayette. He ignores John’s noise of protest as well as the subsequent punch on the shoulder._ _

__“You're very interesting, Alec,” Lafayette says as he studies the bottle._ _

__Lex smirks. “You as well.”_ _

He takes a sip of his beer and almost spits it out. “ _Merde_ , this beer's gross. Who bought it, honestly?” 

__“I don't know,” Lafayette responds as he tries his own beer, “but you're right. It's disgusting.”_ _

__And so, somehow, Lex finds himself bonding with a French nobleman over cheap beer in the middle of an army encampment._ _

__How has this become his life?_ _

  


* * *

  


__There is a battle._ _

__It's Lex's first battle, nothing like what he expected, and worse than anything he could have ever imagined._ _

__And that's from a secretarial position - he can't imagine what Lafayette must be feeling, out on the front lines. Perhaps, Lex muses, Lafayette's trying to mitigate the damage that idiot Lee keeps doing. At the very least, that would keep him occupied._ _

__"Schuyler!" Washington barks on his left._ _

__Lex pulls himself out of his reverie. "Sir."_ _

__"Take Laurens and get Lee back here. Lafayette can take over."_ _

__"Yes, sir."_ _

__Though it still smarts that Lex isn't a soldier, he agrees with Washington on this one - Lee is a fool, incompetent, and utterly idiotic. He's had half a mind to challenge the man to a duel many, many times, but Burr's always managed to convince him otherwise._ _

__"Lee!" he roars over the sound of gunshots and screams and moans of the dying. "Washington wants you back at command!"_ _

__Lee pauses, looks at him with a sneer, and finally turns his horse around and starts the ride back to the fortifications._ _

__John's already off to find Lafayette, so Lex follows Lee's path on his own horse. Now that the situation's a little less urgent, he can - unfortunately - process the scene around him._ _

__This is what people mean when they say war is hell._ _

__Blood shines slick and red, covering the grass and staining the mud. The stench of decay (this particular battle has been going on for two days, now) from dead bodies that lie on the ground makes him fight back nausea. No one's bothered to properly bury the dead, because to do so is near enough to a death sentence, what with the British guns firing at them from the opposite side of the field._ _

__It might be the dying men that make Lex's stomach turn the most, though. Half of them are fatally wounded, in the hospital tent only to await their death, and the other half are teetering on the brink. The stench of piss and shit pervades the entire area. Organs are strewn about the floor._ _

__Lex tries to avoid the hospital tent as much as possible._ _

__He doesn't succeed half the time, because somehow he's managed to get himself sick on no less than three separate occasions since he started a week and a half ago. Lex still wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Washington ordering him to._ _

  


* * *

  


__Monmouth - that's the name of the battle, now - turns out to be an unequivocal disaster. So disastrous, actually, that Lee is court-martialed. It's the only positive thing that comes out of this mess._ _

__Somehow, Lafayette managed to salvage the situation from going from bad to worse - not that there's much of a worse, besides perhaps surrender. Still, he doesn't escape unscathed; a bullet caught in his leg, fracturing the bone, and the doctors say he will have a limp for the rest of his life._ _

Lex fumes as Washington tells him _no, you may not have a command_ for the fifteenth day in a row. 

  


* * *

  


__Angelica hears the news hours after the fact._ _

_Alec Schuyler, son of General Philip Schuyler and Washington's aide, challenges former General Charles Lee to a duel, to be held the following Tuesday._

__It doesn't say where, but Angelica resolves to find out._ _

__She gives Eliza the newspaper, tells her, "I shall be leaving to find out what my idiot brother is up to," and lets her figure it out by herself._ _

__Father doesn't really care, so she doesn't even bother to tell him of her plans._ _

__A carriage would be too slow, so Angelica borrows Spartacus, one of the racing horses Father keeps in the stables, the fastest of them all, and the most untamed. She's too focused on the problem that she doesn't even flinch when the stallion rears up._ _

__Angelica sighs and snaps the reins as soon as she maneuvers them out of the stable, allowing Spartacus to do whatever he wants, run as fast as he pleases._ _

__She rides south towards Monmouth, which is where she last heard from Lex. It's usually a two-day ride by horse, longer by carriage, but she grits her teeth, rides through the night, and gets there in a day._ _

__When the two of them arrive at the army encampment, she pats Spartacus on the shoulder and ties his reins to a hitching post; a servant can lead him to the stables. Probably._ _

__Two sharp knocks on the door of the largest building - really, the only building - yields a young man who looks exhausted._ _

__"Miss, I'm afraid I don't know who you are. Are you lost?"_ _

__"My name is Angelica Schuyler," she replies sharply. "I'm here to give my little brother a lecture unlike any he's ever heard before."_ _

__At this, the man's eyes widen. "Um. He's in the mess, I think, with Laurens, Burr, and Lafayette?"_ _

__The last name is unfamiliar to her, but that's not too important. "And where is the mess, exactly?"_ _

__"Here, I'll walk you there."_ _

__The man, whose name turns out to be Tench Tilghman, is quite talkative, and Angelica learns many things over the course of a five-minute walk._ _

__First, that her name is rather infamous because Lex talks too much._ _

__Second, that Lafayette is French (she suspected as much) and is a legitimate officer._ _

__Third, that Lex is pissed because he can't fight._ _

Angelica doesn't care for what Lex thinks. Although, now that she thinks about it, she might have to yell at him for spreading rumors, because _honestly_. No, she did not ever punch someone in the face. No, she hasn't ever pulled a gun on someone. 

__When she hears this last one, she makes a face. "Really? Lex said that?"_ _

__"Er, yeah. Why?"_ _

__Angelica wrinkles her nose. "Guns are so… inelegant. If I were to threaten someone, I'd do it properly." Of course, she doesn't specify what 'properly' means._ _

__Tench holds the tent flap of the mess open, and already she can hear the clinking of silverware on plates and the low buzz of conversation that food always encourages. She steps past the threshold with as much elegance as she can muster, aware that even in the midst of soldiers her reputation precedes her. The tent slowly goes quiet as, one by one, the soldiers turn their heads and look in her direction._ _

__Angelica scans the crowd for her brother. He's sitting next to John and Burr on one side, an unfamiliar face on the other - that's Lafayette, then. When he sees her glaring at him, he gulps audibly._ _

"Lex," she says as sweetly as she can, "you are a fucking _idiot_." 

__"Um."_ _

__Angelica holds up a hand. "No. You don't get to say a word until I'm done, and if anyone else tries to interrupt, I'll actually make the rumors Lex has no doubt spread about me true."_ _

__The tent stays silent._ _

__"Congratulations," she begins. "You are officially the stupidest person I've had the pleasure of knowing, and that includes Samuel Seabury. I swear, you've invented a new kind of stupid - it's like opening the cage of a wild animal, but worse, somehow. Did you even stop to think?"_ _

__"Angel-"_ _

"Lex, for the love of all that is good and holy, _shut up_." 

__Lex shuts up._ _

"Quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes your defining moment in the army. Challenging Lee to a duel, really? You seem to have forgotten that one, duels are illegal in the army, and two, _you could die_! I can't even express how furious I am right now, because I would've thought you'd have some basic compassion." 

__"For whom? Lee?"_ _

__Oh, look, proper grammar. Angelica wants to scream._ _

__"Not for Lee, you idiot. Me, maybe? Eliza? Mother and Father? I dunno, maybe your friends that are sitting beside you?"_ _

__John, Burr, and Lafayette all look like deer in headlights. Angelica's already continuing her tirade._ _

__"Let's review. Why'd you even challenge Lee in the first place? He got court-martialed already, he's out of the army, there's literally zero reason you needed to-"_ _

__Lex's jaw sets stubbornly. "He was insulting Washington."_ _

Angelica finally explodes. "Then don't you think that maybe _Washington can defend his own honor_?" She marches over and grabs Lex by the arm, forcibly dragging him towards the exit. He struggles to get his arm out of her grasp. 

__"Ow, Angel - geez, I didn't think you were that strong - can you let go of me now?"_ _

__"No," she bites out._ _

Just as they approach Tench, who's still standing by the tent flap, Lafayette stands up and says, " _Attendez, s'il vous plaît!_ " 

__Angelica pauses just long enough for him to catch up - it's not long enough to constitute waiting, per se, but she thinks she's fulfilled her requirement to decorum - before pulling Lex out of the tent. He stumbles a little as she lets go of his arm. She crosses her arms and waits, a glower set on her face._ _

__"Explain."_ _

__"Angel, you didn't hear him, he was being an ass-"_ _

Lafayette chimes in. "Everything he said was, ah, how you say, bullshit. _Faites-moi confiance._ " 

" _Je ne vous ai pas demandé de parler,_ " she snaps back in perfect French. 

__"Honestly, Angel, I'm sure you would have done the same thing in my position. You just didn't hear all the shit he was saying."_ _

__Angelica takes a deep breath, and then another, and reminds herself very firmly that punching one's brother is not socially acceptable. She rubs her temples to hopefully ward off the migraine she can already feel forming._ _

__"Was he saying shit about you, Lex?"_ _

__"…No."_ _

"Was anything he said even _remotely_ related to you?" 

__"…No."_ _

"Then _why would you care_?" 

At this, Lex's temper boils over. " _Because he was talking shit about Washington!_ " 

__And then - and Angelica sees this in slow motion - he brings his hand up and slaps her across her face._ _

__She stumbles back with a choked gasp, hand flying reflexively to her burning cheek. Across from her, Lex and Lafayette have identical expressions of horror._ _

__A voice speaks from behind her, near the tent flap. "Lex, we-"_ _

__Great. Now John and Burr can witness this mess as well._ _

__"Angel-"_ _

__She cuts him off, ignoring the tears in her eyes. "No. I don't want to hear it."_ _

__"But-"_ _

" _I said, I don't want to hear it!_ " 

__The entire camp seems to fall silent._ _

__Angelica pinches the bridge of her nose to buy some time to compose herself. After a beat, she straightens up again._ _

__"John, if you would be so kind as to get General Washington?"_ _

__She feels rather than sees John nod. He runs off, leaves crunching underfoot, and she faces Lex again._ _

__"How dare you." Her voice is low, dangerous._ _

__"I'm sorry, Angel, I didn't mean to, I swear-"_ _

__"That doesn't change what you did."_ _

__"I-"_ _

__Whatever Lex wants to say, it's cut off as Washington and John reappear. The soldiers immediately salute the general. Angelica merely looks at him assessingly._ _

__"Who is this?" Washington asks, waving one hand in her direction._ _

__She's so mad that she forgoes normal etiquette, and says, clipped, "Angelica Schuyler. I believe you know my father."_ _

__"Ah, yes, Miss Schuyler. How may I help you?"_ _

Her cheek throbs, but she ignores it well enough. "Well. You have two options, and only two options, General. The first is that you send Alec home. The second is you give me a position as an aide so I can keep an eye on him." _And also yell at him, because he's in for a reckoning_ goes unsaid. 

__Washington looks at her, rather bemused. "Why?"_ _

__"You see, General, my younger brother is an idiot. I'd rather not explain further."_ _

__"Fair enough." He's smiling._ _

__"So?"_ _

__"If anyone were to find out, Miss Schuyler-"_ _

__"They wouldn't dare say anything, because I'd destroy them." Angelica glares at the four soldiers with them to emphasize her point. They nod nervously._ _

__"Well, then, welcome to the army, Miss Schuyler. I believe you're my newest aide?"_ _

__She nods briskly and takes the proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you, General Washington, sir. Now-" she turns towards Lex "-if you would accompany me on a walk, Lex?"_ _

  


* * *

  


__The duel never happens._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lafayette has known Angelica Schuyler for all of ten minutes, but she's already surpassed all the expectations he's held based on Alec's stories. Somehow, she's even scarier in real life._ _

__She and Alec return after an hour or so, Alec looking like a scolded child, Angelica looking rather furious. Lafayette already knows a furious Angelica is not a good thing in the slightest._ _

And, he thinks, life in the camp will either get better with her here, because she's one of the very few people who can keep Alec in line, or much worse, because she's, as already established, _scary_. 

Life at camp adjusts to having a woman around awkwardly at first. When Angelica's around, soldiers try to censor themselves - and inevitably fail. It's not until they hear her spitting profanities left and right in a heated conversation with Alec (who never seems affected by her presence) that they relax and realize, _oh, so she talks in expletives, too_. 

__Angelica joins them for drinks sometimes, when they venture into the nearby town and stumble into some seedy bar. Lafayette finds out pretty quickly that she can hold her alcohol just as well, if not better than, some of the soldiers. (He's looking at John Laurens.)_ _

__He also finds out, albeit not as quickly, that Angelica can't fight, but that doesn't stop her from trying. Even in a full dress, her mobility is impressive._ _

She learns fast, too. By the time two months fly by, Angelica can pack a mean punch - and high heels _hurt_ when they're directed at your shin. 

__Also, anyone who can run and fight in high heels is a damn goddess, in his opinion._ _

__The war continues, but it's not very exciting - Monmouth took a toll on both sides. Lafayette's resigned himself to another few months of boredom when Washington summons him._ _

__"Sir?" he says when he enters Washington's office._ _

__"Ah, Lafayette, yes, come in. Close the door, will you?"_ _

__When they're both seated, Washington speaks again. "There are two things I need to ask you about."_ _

__"Go ahead, sir."_ _

__"First, will you be going to France?"_ _

"Ah, _oui_. The king has agreed to hear my case, and I intend to make the most of it." 

__Washington nods, clearly distracted. "Good, good. Now, secondly - by your assessment, should Schuyler be given a command? I must confess I don't know anymore."_ _

__"Angelica Schuyler, yes," Lafayette says promptly. "Alec Schuyler, debatable."_ _

__"Unfortunately, it's not Angelica I'm talking about."_ _

__Lafayette considers. "Well, I don't think Alec can be worse than Lee, so that's already an improvement," he says. "And honestly, if it stops his complaining, I would be selfish enough to ask you to give him a command."_ _

__"I assumed as much." Washington's already distracted again - by what, Lafayette can't say. The general dismisses him with a wave of his hand. Lafayette salutes smartly and exits the room._ _

__It’s not until he’s packing for the trip to France and Alec runs in, followed by Angelica, who has a very resigned expression on her face, that he finds out that Washington has indeed given Alec a command._ _

__Angelica sidles up to him. “I can’t wait for you to come back so I can hand Lex off to someone else.”_ _

__“Two months.”_ _

__“Two months it is, then.” He can’t even begin to imagine the exhaustion that she faces in curbing Alec as an officer._ _

  


* * *

  


__Time flies by, and three years later, Lex no longer wants to be an officer._ _

__For three years now, he’s been in command of an entire battalion, one thousand soldiers that he needs to act in the best interests of. He’s seen battle more times than he can count, he’s gone without dinner almost every night, he’s (by virtue of his position) been to the medic’s tent so many times now that it no longer affects him._ _

__Death is his constant companion, now, except it never takes him - instead, it takes his subordinates (who are also his friends), his fellow officers, his commanders. For once in his life, something goes right, and Lex breathes a prayer thanking the Lord that all of his closest friends - John, Aaron (no longer Burr, not after they were the two lone survivors of a mortar blast, and stumbled together back to camp, blood dripping on the ground-), Lafayette - are alive. Angel he doesn’t worry about, because she’s always been able to take care of herself. And, more importantly-_ _

__Lex is tired._ _

The war, which seemed so idealistic, so necessary, so _right_ , is none of those things anymore. It is blood and gore and death and the screams of the dying and the smell of rotten bodies and the sound of gunfire and - no. He refuses to go there; he cannot be seen as weak, not as the war rages on and he’s needed more than ever. 

__He’s disillusioned, now, and it’s not a good feeling. Lex doesn’t like being cynical - it’s just that the war has left him with no choice._ _

Every time a new recruit gets promoted, he warns them: “I was younger than you when I was given my first command - it seemed like a good thing then, a stroke of fortune. It wasn’t.” He hears Washington give them similar cautioning: “You have no control of who lives and who dies. And, eventually, you have no say in whether you’re remembered or not. Act carefully.” And Lafayette as well: “Dying is the easiest thing in the world, _mon ami_. Living is so much harder.” 

__Perhaps they’re scaring the newest recruits, and perhaps that’s counterproductive, but Lex needs to make sure these people know what they’re getting into. He imagines Lafayette and Washington feel the same way._ _

__The war goes on._ _

__Lex carries the burden of his mortality every time he goes into battle, the guilt and regret of every time his actions resulted in the deaths of others. This isn’t a good situation to be in, he knows, just as he knows eventually the dam will break and his walls will crumble down. Still, he soldiers on, because he must, because they must, because if they lose the war, none of that matters._ _

Finally, _finally_ , there’s a chance to end the war. At this point, Lex sees more hollow-eyed shells than people in camp, though both still breathe and eat and drink. Once upon a time, it would have affected him, but no more. 

__This miraculous chance is called Yorktown. It is a seaside town in Virginia, where, according to military intelligence (provided mostly by one of their most seasoned and useful spies, Hercules Mulligan), General Cornwallis is awaiting reinforcements. Reinforcements that, crucially, are late._ _

__Washington immediately orders a forced march from New York to Virginia, a grueling journey of 400 miles in under a week. Lex prepares with practiced efficiency - rucksack, arms, ammunition, tent - and meets with the other officers an hour before they set off._ _

__“Where do we stop tonight?” he asks Washington._ _

__The commander points at a nondescript spot in the southern part of New Jersey. “We don’t rest until we make it here.”_ _

__That’s expected; in such a time-sensitive situation, there’s no time to waste. Lex suspects less than four hours of sleep a night, and that’s if they keep on schedule._ _

__Last-minute preparations are finished within the hour, and without further ado, they head out onto the road._ _

__Less than a day in, he starts feeling the effects of such a forced march - fatigue, hunger, thirst, numbness. He wants to embrace the numbness, but experience tells him that’s a very bad idea. Instead, he barks orders at others, making sure they don’t fall asleep and die of hypothermia._ _

__They reach their stopping point after midnight, and Washington gives them a reprieve of two hours. Lex doesn’t bother sleeping. Two hours isn’t enough to wake up rested, and besides, a groggy soldier is one that gets killed easily. He notes with some satisfaction that most, if not all, of his soldiers do the same thing (smart of them) and content themselves with light dozing, which is still an option, random activities, or coffee._ _

__He chooses to drink a cup of coffee - though caffeine is precious and scarce here, he sorely needs it if he’s going to get through the next day. Lafayette limps over just as dawn breaks, smirking at the now-lukewarm cup in Lex’s hands._ _

__“No sleep?”_ _

__“You know sleeping’s not the way to go.”_ _

__Lafayette’s expression turns somber. “Yes. And yet, there are still soldiers that do not listen.”_ _

__“It comes with the experience, Lafayette. They will learn, trust me.”_ _

__“That I am not worried about. I’m just concerned they will die before they learn.”_ _

Lex feels his mouth stretch into a grim smile. “ _C’est la vie._ The smart ones will live, the fools will die.” 

“ _C’est la vie,_ ” Lafayette agrees reluctantly. “When did you become so much smarter?” His tone conveys what he doesn’t say - _When did you become so much more cynical? Where is that enthusiastic boy, barely a man, that I met less than half a decade ago?_

__Or, at least, that’s what Lex picks up on._ _

__He huffs a bitter laugh. “Let’s go,” is his only answer. “Washington’s going to call the march soon.”_ _

__Lex is right, of course. Ten minutes later, the bugle sounds, and they’re back to the monotonous marching of the day before._ _

__They do this for five days._ _

__During this time, Lex doesn’t see John or Angel at all. Burr occasionally visits, even though he’s not an officer, and so does Lafayette, more frequently. Washington’s only come over once, for an inspection of the troops._ _

__They make good time and get to Yorktown just as the French navy sail into the bay. The trenches are dug as close as they dare, just out of the range of the British’s guns and cannons. Camp is set up much, much farther back._ _

__Finally, Lex has time to meet with his friends and Angel. He dispatches a messenger to tell them to meet him in his tent as soon as possible._ _

__Angel arrives first, looking impeccable despite the muddy environment. Incredibly, her high heels are still firmly fixed in place, though Lex notes that the heels have been snapped off and she’s wrapped her foot in cloth to prevent blisters. At his questioning look - those shoes still couldn’t have been comfortable - she explains, “I didn’t bring any other shoes.”_ _

And, because Lex knows her as well as he knows himself, he understands what she means. _I’m too proud to ask for shoes._ He wants to laugh. Pride has no place in war; it’s a lesson he’s had to learn the hard way many, many times. 

__Still, he restrains himself, instead fishing out one of his standard issue boots, which, despite being made for men, are perfectly acceptable for women to wear, if only in the army, which is a situation that applies to no one but Angel. Not that Lex is surprised._ _

__He offers her the boots, and she wastes no time in changing, chucking the heelless high heels out of the tent in the process. This time, he doesn’t hold back his chuckles._ _

__John, Lafayette, and Aaron arrive together, laughing. Lex doesn’t interrupt them - laughter is too precious in wartime to waste. It’s not until they’re all quiet that he asks, “So how are you guys?”_ _

__“Coping,” John says. Aaron nods._ _

__Angel adds, “Doing what I must.”_ _

__Lafayette stays silent even though the look in his eyes is anything but. Lex promptly envelops him in a hug, and his friend breaks down sobbing in his arms._ _

__“Shh, it’s alright,” he soothes as he rubs circles on Lafayette’s back. “You’ll be okay.” Lafayette just cries some more. It’s not the first time one of them’s crumbled, and just like before, everyone’s there for them._ _

__Pride has no place in war._ _

  


* * *

  


__The Battle of Yorktown is more of a siege than a proper battle - the only goal is to get Cornwallis to surrender, because if he does, the war is as good as won. Lex contents himself with sitting in his tent, doing drills, eating, and sleeping, usually in that order, every day._ _

__Out in the bay, the French navy is doing its job admirably, keeping reinforcements from coming in and bombarding the British camp on its seaward side. The land troops put additional pressure by gradually forcing a British withdrawal from the far reaches of their encampment - an effort that Lex plays no small part in._ _

__It takes a grueling week of doing next to nothing (there was only one small task of taking a redoubt that Lex oversaw) before the white flag is raised. How they found something white in the mud and dirt of the battleground, he neither knows nor cares._ _

__The drums are played, the pipes are shrilled, the bugles are sounded, and it is after all the fanfare is over and Cornwallis hands Washington his sword ceremonially that Lex finally allows himself to relax._ _

__It’s a mistake._ _

__He and John are out in the town, enjoying the fact that they’re alive, and free, and the war is over, when a glint catches his eye again, a twisted parody of what feels like another lifetime. Except, this time around, it’s not Eliza’s hair; it’s actually a gun._ _

__Despite having honed his reflexes to a point, Lex still isn’t fast enough to do anything but turn and watch in horror as a soldier disguised as a civilian raises his gun and shoots-_ _

_Bang._

__Two guns go off simultaneously, and two bodies drop to the ground. Lex remains standing._ _

__He ignores the redcoat, who’s almost certainly dead by now (Lex is a very good shot, better than most), and drops to his knees. “John.”_ _

__“Lex,” John says, coughing up crimson blood._ _

__“No, no, no, you’ll be fine, we just need to get you to the doctor-”_ _

__The bullet’s pierced John’s side, under the ribs, and blood already soaks his shirt. Lex tries to stop the flow of blood as best as he can before he cradles John, stands up, and starts running back to camp._ _

__Less than half an hour later, the sentries at the camp find him with John, lifeless, in his arms, blood on his hands, mud staining his knees. Being sensible men, they immediately get the people closest to him - Angel, Lafayette, Aaron, Washington._ _

__They find him standing in the exact same place as where the sentries found him, John still in his arms, dried blood staining his hands. Washington immediately strides forward and takes John away._ _

__Lex doesn’t want to believe he’s dead._ _

  


* * *

  


__He can’t sleep._ _

__Every time he tries, he sees the life draining from John’s eyes two minutes from camp. Every time, he sees the redcoat bring his gun up, sees his finger curl on the trigger, the bullet leave the gun, John falling to the ground-_ _

__Blood stains his dreams._ _

  


* * *

  


__Angelica returns home with Lex, who is a dull-eyed shell of his former self. She worries about him, truly - the haunted look in his eyes is troubling, to say the least. Along with Lafayette and Aaron (no longer Burr), they’ve tried to do everything they can to get Lex back to who he used to be. Nothing works._ _

Eliza meets her eyes when they arrive back at the house, a question in her expression. _What happened?_

__The most she can do is shake her head in response. War is not something to discuss lightly._ _

__In the end, it’s Washington who finally brings Lex back from being a shadow of himself, though he never truly returns to normal, not that Angelica ever expected that. Still, it takes just one thing to help Lex out of his pit of grief and self-loathing._ _

__Washington asks Lex to be the Secretary of the Treasury._ _

__No matter what his mental state may be, there is one thing that her brother will never pass up: a way to change the world. Never mind that his status as both a Schuyler and a war hero already puts him in the perfect position to do so._ _

__So, of course, he starts working in the fledgling government almost before the government’s even set up. Angelica watches him flourish, finally, and prays to God that nothing ever affects Lex this badly again._ _

__She can’t help but feel that someplace, somewhere, God is laughing at her._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lex can almost forget about the war when he throws himself into his work so much that time seems to fly by at five times its normal speed. And, because he’s never one to pass up such an opportunity, he goes and does so as much as he possibly can. Which is, if he’s being honest, quite a lot of the time._ _

__He and Eliza move out of the mansion, where Angel and his little siblings still live (though he predicts they’ll all move out within a year or two), to a smaller house closer to the heart of New York, where Washington’s set up his headquarters, so to speak._ _

__His time is spent studying law, politics, economics, and caring for his son, Philip, and his daughter, Angelica. It’s a busy schedule, exactly how he likes it, leaving him with nearly no time to sleep. Perfect._ _

__He entirely ignores the dark bags under his eyes, and no one’s crass enough to bring it up, meaning he can almost delude himself into thinking he’s okay. Not quite, but close enough._ _

__The first day of his official job, nearly three years after the war, he meets a man by the name of Thomas Jefferson, who seems both crass and arrogant. He’s from Virginia._ _

__Lex doesn’t have very good memories of Virginia._ _

__Washington’s cabinet has its first meeting a week later, between Washington, the president; Lex, Treasury Secretary; Jefferson, Secretary of State; Aaron, Secretary of War; and Madison, Attorney General. It’s about Lex’s debt plan._ _

__The meeting is disastrous. Washington, who is as stoic as ever, gives the floor to Jefferson first._ _

__“Schuyler’s debt plan benefits New York, and New York only,” the man starts._ _

__Lex grits his teeth and catches Aaron’s gaze, which tells him to wait. So wait he does._ _

__Jefferson continues, “We fought for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - and yet this plan takes away two of them. How are we supposed to be free, how are we supposed to pursue happiness, if we must give all of our hard-earned money to the North?”_ _

__Washington gestures for Lex to take the floor._ _

He jumps at the invitation. “Jefferson, that was the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard out of someone’s mouth, and I’ve heard Seabury give a speech. Honestly, do you never take a look outside of Monticello? We’ve got a nation to run, not just a bunch of states - really and truly, do you not understand how this plan benefits us as a whole? And-” he puts up a finger to preempt Jefferson’s attempt to refute that “-don’t you _dare_ start in on the war. Three people in this room have actually fought - you aren’t one of them. I’ll tell you this right now: you haven’t ever seen someone die. I have. You haven’t had people under your command kill themselves because they couldn’t take the horrors of war anymore. I have.” He’s furiously repressing the memories as they get dredged up. 

“You haven’t ever seen a body rot on a field, forgotten, because it’s all you and anyone else can do to stay alive. I have. You haven’t had your best friend _since childhood_ die in your arms because you weren’t fast enough to keep him alive-” He breaks off in a choked sob at the mention of John. 

__Washington steps in. “Burr, get Schuyler out. Jefferson, Madison, stay. I need to talk to you.”_ _

  


* * *

  


__Thomas doesn’t know what to do as he watches Aaron Burr lead a tearful Alec Schuyler out of the meeting room. Hell, he doesn’t even know what to think._ _

__As soon as the door closes, Washington says, in a low voice that’s somehow threatening, “Don’t bring up the war again.”_ _

__“If I may be so bold, sir, why?” Thomas asks, more out of genuine curiosity than anything else._ _

__Maybe Washington senses the lack of ill will, or maybe he’s just taking a risk, but whatever the case, the man actually answers him instead of dismissing him like he usually does. “Why do you think?” he shoots back, fixing Thomas with a glare that could shake even the bravest of men. “He’s right, you know. You didn’t fight in the war. And you had best believe that anyone who says war is hell is telling the goddamn truth.”_ _

__Thomas doesn’t say another word._ _

__Washington studies him for a solid minute silently before he nods, as though coming to an agreement with himself. “One more thing - don’t go easy on him, Jefferson. I’ll deny this to my dying breath if you tell anyone, but Schuyler needs someone like you right now. I haven’t seen him as… well, as alive as he was in this meeting since-” He stops himself with a shake of his head. “That’s not my story to tell, it’s his. But regardless, as long as you never, ever, bring the war up again, I don’t care how fiercely you fight. Understood?”_ _

__“Yes, sir.”_ _

__“And, Madison - this applies to you too.”_ _

__“Understood, sir.”_ _

__“Good. Dismissed, both of you. If you can find Burr, tell him that we will reconvene a week from today. He’ll pass the message on to Schuyler.” Thomas nods and quietly exits the room, James right behind him._ _

__As soon as the door closes behind them, Thomas turns to James. “So.”_ _

__“So.”_ _

__“What do we do?”_ _

__James shrugs. “What else? Follow Washington’s directions, obviously.”_ _

__Thomas accepts this with a quick nod. "So how do we approach Schuyler's plan? It'll ruin the South, we can't have that."_ _

__"Well, then," James says slowly, "a compromise it is."_ _

__"What-"_ _

__"His bank and debt plan for the capital of our country."_ _

__Thomas is already nodding along. "Yes, that sounds perfect. Tomorrow at noon, the bar on Seventh? I'll write Burr a note."_ _

__They arrive at his house - which has nothing on Monticello, but it'll serve its purpose - and he bids James goodbye before stepping inside._ _

__The note is short and to the point._ _

_Burr,  
Washington has asked me to inform both you and Schuyler that the cabinet meeting has been postponed to next Tuesday. In the meantime, James and I have a proposal we want to share with the two of you. If you and Schuyler could please come to the bar on Seventh Street tomorrow at noon, I have every confidence we'll find a compromise.  
Yrs,  
Thomas Jefferson_

__Burr replies within the day._ _

_Jefferson,  
We'll be there. I sincerely hope you know what not to say this time around.  
Yr Obt Svt,  
Aaron Burr_

  


* * *

  


__Lex really doesn't want to meet Jefferson and Madison again. Maybe he's just prideful, maybe he's ashamed - there could be a hundred and one different reasons, but he just really doesn't want to face them._ _

__Still, Aaron insists this is their best chance at getting what they want, and Lex has to agree. So the two of them, at noon on Wednesday, walk into the bar on Seventh._ _

__He snorts. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, and he's not sure he likes where it's headed._ _

__"Lex?" Aaron asks._ _

__"What? Oh, nothing," he replies, realizing Aaron doesn't know what he finds amusing. "Let's just go find Jefferson and Madison."_ _

__The two men are sitting in a private booth at the back of the crowded room, and Lex can already feel in his bones that coming here is shaping up to be a bad idea. He grits his teeth and pushes forward._ _

__"Jefferson. Madison," he greets. "Nice to see you."_ _

__"You as well, Schuyler. Burr."_ _

__Lex takes a seat opposite Jefferson, leaving Aaron to sit across from Madison. "What's this proposal of yours?"_ _

__"We'll give you the banks and help you pass the debt plan-"_ _

__"-but in return, you need to convince Congress to put the capital in Virginia."_ _

__Lex considers this for a moment. "So you pull your weight in Congress, and I pull mine, and we all have what we want."_ _

__"Yes," Madison confirms._ _

__He looks at Aaron and shrugs. It's not a bad compromise, all things considered, and he's more than willing to trade away the capital - with one exception._ _

"Okay, but only if the capital moves _after_ Washington's administration is over." He doesn't want to go through the hassle of moving halfway through his work, and besides, he doesn't really see himself still working for the government in the future. Not in the least because every potential presidential candidate is… revolting, to say the least. 

__"We don't know when Washington's administration will end, though!"_ _

__Aaron cuts in. "What if," he says, "we moved the capital after two terms? You can start finding a place now, and once everything is finalized, Lex and I can get Congress to put the capital there after the current term finishes. Mind you, this one ends in a year, so I doubt we can push it through this term."_ _

__Jefferson still looks doubtful, but Lex isn't paying attention anymore, really. His old army instincts still haven't gone away, and right now they're screaming at him in a way he hasn't experienced since… since Yorktown, if he’s being honest. He scans the room from his seat, grateful that it allows him a vantage point._ _

__Most of the people here seem perfectly normal and unthreatening. There's a burly guard standing by the door, but he's harmless, too. Lex looks closer at each person._ _

__No, no, no - oh, shit._ _

__The man is walking purposefully through the crowd, his trajectory aiming straight at their booth. Alarms go off in Lex's head._ _

__Suddenly, he's back at Yorktown, and John's there with him, and the soldier's walking towards them - but this time around, Lex knows what he needs to do. In a single fluid motion, he draws the pistol from his holster (which feels rather cloth-like, for some reason, but he ignores it), cocks it, and aims it at the redcoat, who freezes in his tracks. Good._ _

__A voice breaks through the haze of his mind. "-Lex! Lex!"_ _

__He whips around to see - Aaron? A blink, then another, and suddenly he's back in the bar, gun still pointed at the stranger, who, now that he thinks about it, looks rather similar to that redcoat._ _

__The entire bar is staring at their little corner, and Lex lowers the gun slowly, careful of the bullet still loaded inside. In a shaky voice, Jefferson asks, "What just happened?"_ _

__It seems to break a spell, and the bar goes back to normal. Lex sits down heavily and stares at his hands._ _

__"I think I'm going to leave now," he mumbles, interrupting whoever's speaking. "See you all later." Lex rushes out of the bar blindly before anyone can so much as blink._ _

__The cool air outside helps to steady him. He takes a breath. What's wrong with him? It's not like they're still in the war, after all._ _

__Unconsciously, he travels to the nearest secluded woods and fires his pistol - it would be a safety hazard otherwise. It's only after he tucks the gun safely away again that he heads for home._ _

__Lex gets home an hour or so later. When he steps through the front door, Eliza's there with Philip, who's nine now, and Angie, who's five._ _

__"What happened?" she asks, unknowingly mimicking Jefferson. "You're back late."_ _

__"Nothing."_ _

__"It's not nothing, Alec. I know you better than that."_ _

__He sighs. "I think I'll take a break from work - go upstate and stay with Angel for awhile. Today was… you can ask Aaron, if you'd like."_ _

__Eliza frowns. "If you're sure. I'm afraid I can't join you, though, much as I'd love to - I have a few pressing appointments over the next three weeks."_ _

__Lex shrugs. He's well used to his wife's frequent outings, which are for various philanthropic purposes; there's just a small matter to consider._ _

__"Do you want me to take Pip and Angie? I hardly think you'll have the time to take care of them."_ _

__She kisses him, slow and soft. "If you'd please. When are you leaving?"_ _

__"Tomorrow, I think. It's too late today."_ _

__Eliza nods and goes into the kitchen to get dinner._ _

  


* * *

  


__Angelica's never told anyone about her nightmares._ _

__Oh, she knows Lex gets them, and frequently; she knows that Aaron does too, but not as much; she knows that this happens to everyone who's ever fought in the war and survived. But despite this, hers is inherently different, if only because she's a woman. Anyone who found out would immediately ridicule her about it._ _

__So she keeps it to herself, often wandering the estate at night when she doesn't feel up to sleeping. It's not healthy, of course. She just doesn't know who to talk to - Lex has enough problems of his own, Aaron isn't close enough, Washington has so much to do, and Lafayette's in France. All in all, no one she can exactly open up to._ _

__This has become a regular routine by the time Lex pulls up at the door, his two children in tow. Angelica tries to sleep, fails, and walks around until morning._ _

__When her brother shows up, though, she's not sure how she can conceal that, both from him and from his children. She breathes a silent prayer that her younger siblings are all out of the house, at least._ _

__"Lex! I didn't know you were coming."_ _

__He smiles, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "Me neither. It was a rather sudden decision."_ _

__She has her suspicions of what could have happened but stays silent on that matter. "Come in. I'll have Mattie clean out some of the rooms - you have your old one, of course, and Pip and Angie can take, say, Peggy's."_ _

__"Sure."_ _

__The first day is fairly lost in unpacking and then dinner, and soon Angelica finds herself lying awake on her bed, unable to sleep. With a sigh, she gets up, slips on an outer coat, and heads downstairs._ _

__She stops in the kitchen to fix herself a cup of tea before opening the front door, only to find the familiar silhouette of Lex sitting on the steps of the porch._ _

__"Lex, what are you doing?"_ _

__"I could ask the same of you, Angel."_ _

__Instead of answering, she sits down on the steps with him and looks up at the night sky. "It's so frustrating, isn't it?"_ _

__"What?"_ _

__"Everything," she responds. "The war just… fucked us up pretty badly, huh?"_ _

__Lex chuckles, but the sound holds no humor. "Yeah."_ _

__They sit together in silence for a long while, looking at the stars. The sky starts brightening again before either of them move. Angelica knows she should feel frozen right down to her bones, but Lex provides enough warmth that she feels alright._ _

__"What's it like for you?" Lex asks as the sun starts rising. "The effects of the war, I mean."_ _

__"Nightmares. Bad ones," she admits quietly. It's the first time she's told anyone._ _

__He huffs a bitter laugh. "Same. Just with a whole slew of other problems as well." Angelica can hear what he isn't saying. She's heard of flashbacks, of course, and she knows that he has them still._ _

__"Mm."_ _

__Her tea is long gone by now, the mug set aside and forgotten. She puts her head on his shoulder and sighs._ _

__"I wish it didn't have to be like this."_ _

__"Me too, Angel. Me too."_ _

__By a silent mutual agreement, the two of them act like nothing's wrong in front of the children. Maybe it's a deception on their part, or maybe they just want Pip and Angie to have their fun - Angelica doesn't know, but whatever it is, neither of them so much as breathes a word about the nightmares and assorted other things._ _

__At night, though, it's a separate story. The two of them sit out on the front porch most nights, drinking tea, coping in their own way. Sometimes, Lex joins her on walks around their childhood home. And together, they rediscover their love of cooking, from way back before the United States of America even existed. It all helps - not enough, not by a long shot - but it still helps._ _

__Lex can't stay away from his work forever, as much as she wants him to; he gives himself three weeks before heading back to New York again. Angelica watches and waves as their carriage rumbles back down the road and becomes a distant speck on the horizon. When it disappears, she turns around and heads inside, the loneliness already eating at her._ _

  


* * *

  


__Thomas simultaneously can't stand Schuyler and can't imagine life without him._ _

Paris is a distant memory, Virginia even more so; truly and honestly, he can't wait until the capital is moved back home so he doesn't have to stay in this loud, dirty, crowded city. But until then, he's stuck here in New York - and with Schuyler. Oh, and Burr, he supposes, but oddly enough, it's James who harbors more animosity towards the man. Thomas suspects it's reciprocated, though of course neither of them particularly _show_ it externally, what with their (frankly confounding) reticence. 

It wouldn't be so bad, really - he and Schuyler generally try to avoid each other's area of expertise - if it weren't for Washington. The man seems completely intent on getting his cabinet to work together. His _perfectly split_ cabinet, no less. 

__Thomas wants to laugh. It doesn't take a damn genius to realize that won't happen._ _

They have another cabinet meeting today on whether or not the US should help France in its ongoing revolution, and he's actually unsure of what will happen - he knows Schuyler doesn't want to involve them, but then again, he's not the Secretary of State. That would be Thomas himself, and _he_ holds the belief that they needed to help France. 

__Washington begins the meeting with a pointed note about convincing him and only him, which Thomas tunes out, for the most part. It's not until he's given the floor that he focuses back on the situation at hand._ _

"We made a promise - we signed a _treaty_ , for heaven's sake - to lend a hand when France needed it. And don't come for the bullshit about how it's too messy or whatever, because they're fighting for freedom, and now is the time to stand. And, if I may remind you, this is my opinion as _Secretary of State_." 

__"Secretary Schuyler?"_ _

__Schuyler stands up. "No."_ _

__"I'm sorry?"_ _

"No, we cannot help France. We're too fragile as it is - if we get into another war, this country will collapse, I can guarantee it. Especially since France has neither king nor queen - it'll be a mess! Not to even _mention_ how badly another war would ruin our economy. And, if _I_ may remind _you_ , this is my opinion as _Secretary of the Treasury_." 

__Thomas grits his teeth and is about to retort when Washington intervenes. "Enough, enough. Burr, Madison, any thoughts?"_ _

__"As Secretary of War, I'd have to advise against helping France, unfortunately. We have virtually no resources right now."_ _

__James frowns. "Legally, though, the treaty we signed is internationally binding. If we don't help now, what will that look like to the rest of the world?"_ _

__For once, Schuyler has the good sense to stay quiet instead of yelling, "To hell with what the rest of the world thinks!" And isn't it funny that Thomas knows the man well enough to predict his words with any amount of confidence?_ _

__Well. He certainly thinks so, anyway._ _

__Washington's frown deepens. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but until we come to a conclusion, no one is leaving the room. This is a time-sensitive situation, and we must present a unified front."_ _

__Thomas wants to groan. Of course they'd have to stay past… probably dinner, honestly, and all because of Schuyler's inane stubbornness._ _

__"Let's see if we can come to a compromise," Schuyler says abruptly, a grin ghosting his face. James looks like he wants to simultaneously laugh and tackle Schuyler for the reference, and honestly Thomas isn't much better off._ _

"What's your proposal?" he asks instead, because _fuck it_. It wasn't like he had anything better to do than baffle Washington with an inside joke, some joke though it might have been. Even Burr, normally the most reticent out of all of them, has cracked a small smile. 

__"What if," Schuyler continues, and now his expression is thoughtful, "we provided asylum for any and all French citizens that the French… government or whatever decided was safe to leave? They just want to get rid of the monarchy and aristocracy, right?"_ _

__Burr nodded. "And we could, technically, frame it as trying to help France by reducing the possibility of civilian collateral."_ _

__"There's something you both are missing," Thomas cuts in. The two of them look at him in question._ _

__"Lafayette's a noble."_ _

__"Well," Schuyler responds, a gleam in his eye that Thomas feels very uneasy about, "then we just have to get him out before we extend the offer, no?"_ _

__There's a pause as everyone processes the idea. It could work, but… "France is going to be so mad," James groans, though there's something suspiciously close to acceptance in his voice._ _

__"Lafayette is my friend and he will always stay that way. I'm not letting him get killed."_ _

__"What if he doesn't want to leave?"_ _

__Schuyler shrugs. "I'm not going to force him to leave. But between you and me, Madison, he's smart enough to know when a situation is unsalvageable. Besides, no matter what, I'm at least getting his wife and kids out of France - they don't deserve any of this."_ _

__Washington speaks for the first time in ten minutes. "Should we not, perhaps, write a letter to Lafayette before rushing off?"_ _

__"No," Burr responds, shaking his head. "Letters are being monitored. And censored."_ _

__There's a problem with that claim. "How would you know?"_ _

He cracks a tired grin. "Remember, Jefferson, we fought together." _Leave it at that,_ his eyes warn. Thomas heeds the warning. 

__"Okay, so if we're doing this-"_ _

__"Which we are."_ _

__"-then it has to be untraceable."_ _

__"No kidding, Jefferson."_ _

__"How?"_ _

__That puts the entire room to silence. It's a fair question, too, because none of them want a diplomatic incident to occur - that would be disastrous by anyone's standards._ _

__They sit and plan and argue and collaborate for hours after that, completely ignoring the time, social conventions, and meals. The only concession to their human nature is when Washington rings for a glass of water each, which the servants bring along with some food. Thomas almost drops his quill when he realizes just how hungry he actually is._ _

__"I believe we should take a short break? I don't know about you, but I'm starving."_ _

__"Excellent idea," Washington decides, and they stop working just long enough to sate both hunger and thirst before continuing on. This is important enough that there can be no room for any mistakes whatsoever._ _

__Finally, long after the candles have burned down and been replaced by new ones, the plan is finalized. Washington dismisses them all wearily. "Excellent work, gentlemen. I'll see you all on Friday." Friday, because they’re implementing their plan then._ _

__Thomas mumbles a farewell, too tired to actually say anything coherent at this point, and stumbles out of the room. At long last, he can actually go home._ _

__His New York house really doesn't seem that bad anymore._ _

__Schuyler, though? That's still up for debate._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lex watches with Aaron, Washington, Jefferson, and Madison as his older sister sails away to France with the sole purpose of getting Lafayette and his family out of the country._ _

__His presence over there was immediately vetoed when they were planning this out; even he can realize how badly he'd be affected by the atmosphere over there. Aaron's staying for the exact same reason. Jefferson and Madison, on the other hand, are staying in part because they have no inclination to go and in part because two men traveling to a noble's house might raise suspicions, but a single woman, fluent in French, would not._ _

__Angel's got her backstory worked out - a farmer's wife from northern France whose husband died, leaving her with no choice but to sell the farm and head to the cities in search of work. They're all banking on the fact that Lafayette recognizes her - if he doesn't, the entire plan goes to shit._ _

__Which, admittedly, is quite possible. Unfortunately._ _

__Lex heads back home after the ship disappears over the horizon, and he's just about to open the door when he notices a letter on his front doorstep. He's curious enough to open it right there on the doorstep._ _

_Schuyler,  
Please meet Madison and me in the cabinet meeting room tomorrow at nine in the morning. There's something that, I think, will interest you greatly.  
Yrs,  
Thomas Jefferson_

__Lex can almost feel the malice oozing off the page, and it makes him wary. With that in mind, he makes his way to Aaron's house and knocks on the front door._ _

__"Lex?"_ _

__"Aaron, do you have anything pressing tomorrow?"_ _

__Aaron frowns at him and ushers him inside, getting a cup of tea for each of them before sitting down and studying him with critical eyes. "No, I don't, actually. Why?"_ _

__Lex shoves the letter into Aaron's hands. "I don't trust Jefferson."_ _

__"Me neither," Aaron says as he scans the contents. "But I honestly don't think he would do anything so publicly."_ _

__"Still."_ _

__"Alright, fine," Aaron sighs as he stands up. "I'll see you there at nine."_ _

__Lex nods, relieved, and takes his leave._ _

__The next day can't come fast enough. At exactly nine in the morning, he arrives at the building, meeting up with Aaron in the hallway before pushing open the door and entering the room._ _

__Jefferson and Madison are, as promised, inside. They sit with smug grins that are also tinged with a bit of worry, which in turn worries Lex._ _

__"What is it, Jefferson?"_ _

__"We have the check stubs," Jefferson begins._ _

__Lex is bewildered. "For what?"_ _

__"Almost a thousand dollars in total," Madison continues, ignoring Lex as he lays out several small pieces of paper on the table. They are, in fact, check stubs._ _

__"To a Mr. John Church, in 1791," Aaron reads off. "What?"_ _

A thousand dollars? Lex runs through his purchases from that year and comes up with nothing, not even a face to the name _John Church_. His confusion must be showing on his face, because Jefferson sighs heavily. 

__"Are you telling me that you had nothing to do with this?"_ _

__"Yes," he says dumbly._ _

__Madison swears. "Well, this is a mess."_ _

__Aaron raises an eyebrow, taking over the meeting as Lex tries to process the missing thousand dollars - and under his name, too. "Do tell."_ _

__"We might have… already… perhaps… insinuated that Schuyler was engaged in speculation to a newspaper or few?"_ _

Aaron fairly growls. " _What?_ " 

__"Yeah," Jefferson says, a sheepish expression on his face, regret tinging his voice. Or maybe it's all a show; Lex can't really tell at this point._ _

__The rest of the meeting passes by in a blur. Lex is vaguely aware of Madison apologizing, of Aaron guiding him back to the carriage, of the ride home, but he doesn't really focus again until he gets home._ _

__"Darling, what's wrong?" Eliza asks immediately._ _

__"Someone stole a thousand dollars from us."_ _

__"Wait, what?"_ _

__"Back in 1791, I mean, to a John Church. Never heard of him, so it can't have been us." Lex sighs. "Whatever. It'll all be out in the news tomorrow, because Jefferson and Madison were assholes."_ _

__He doesn't bother looking at her reaction, instead collapsing on the bed. Sleep finds him in mere seconds._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lex finds out a week later._ _

_The Church Pamphlet  
By Eliza Hamilton Schuyler  
It is an unfortunate truth that the charge against my husband is a connection with one John Church for purposes of improper speculation, as reported by the New York Times. The real crime is not his; it is mine, and mine alone.  
I had an amorous relationship with Mr. Church for a considerable time with his wife's knowing consent, specifically while Mr. Schuyler was out on a visit to his sister upstate with our children, and I in New York under the guise of philanthropic pursuits. We had frequent meetings at his house and equally as many at my own. Mrs. Church, upon discovering our connection, blackmailed me for close to a year before Mr. Church broke the relationship off…_

__Lex can’t finish the article._ _

__He might be as temperamental as they come, but for some reason he can't face Eliza right now. Instead, he retreats to the Schuyler mansion - Angel won't mind, and besides, she's in France right now - with instructions not to let anyone in without his express permission. Mattie, who’s been the housekeeper since before he was born, takes one look at him and agrees without question._ _

__Lex spends most of his days holed up in the kitchen, cooking or baking food that usually eventually finds its way to the staff, mostly because he can't eat it all himself. They don't ever mention it. He's grateful for that._ _

__Washington tries to visit him early on, takes a day off from his responsibilities as President to do so, but the wound is still much too fresh for Lex to want to see anyone. He sends Washington away with a message that says as much._ _

__The one visitor he lets in at any point is Aaron, who takes one look at him before having Mattie fix some tea._ _

__"How are you?"_ _

__"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances, I suppose," Lex says with a bitter huff._ _

__Aaron doesn't push further than that, and turns the conversation instead to politics, giving Lex a much-needed update on the current political climate._ _

__He's surprised to find out that Jefferson and Madison are trying to make amends, in the only way they know how to - supporting Federalist bills and minimizing Democratic-Republican opposition in Congress. It's something, he supposes, but at the same time he can't bring himself to care._ _

__"Tell them it's much appreciated, if you will," he says when Aaron tells him, "but also that I don't plan to go back for a while yet."_ _

__"Of course," Aaron murmurs over his cup of tea._ _

__After he leaves, Lex is left alone until Angel comes back, Lafayette's entire family in tow. He's out on a ride through the estate when they arrive, which means that Angel has no clue he's here._ _

__Mattie, bless her, tells Angel the moment he walks in through the door. "Miss Schuyler, your brother's been staying here for awhile - I don't think you knew."_ _

__Angel turns from where she's directing the servants. "What?" she asks, but then she sees Lex. "Oh! Hey, Lex, I thought you were - what happened?"_ _

__He's still an open book for her, it seems._ _

__"Didn't you hear?"_ _

__"Hear what?"_ _

__In response, he pushes the newspaper clippings from a month ago into her hands._ _

__She scans over the writing quickly, a look of horror dawning on her face. "No."_ _

__"Yeah."_ _

__Her expression changes to one that Lex knows pretty well - anger, fury, wrath, all wrapped into a single human being. He's slightly scared for whoever might be on the receiving end of that rage._ _

__"Get Lafayette settled in," she all but growls. "I'm off to visit my least favorite sister."_ _

__Lex doesn't bother telling her to stop._ _

__Instead, he goes to Lafayette's room, where his friend is currently decorating the room with his wife, laughing._ _

__"Lafayette?"_ _

__"Oh! Alec, it's good to see you. How have you been?"_ _

__"Fine," he answers distractedly, as far from fine as he's ever been, save, perhaps, for when John-_ _

__No. He won't go there. "And who are these lovely people?"_ _

__Lafayette beams at him. "My wife, Adrienne; my daughter, Marie Anastasie; and my son, Georges."_ _

Lex greets them each individually, and Adrienne laughs, a lilting sound that immediately shows him why Lafayette's so infatuated with her. "I think I shall leave you two to catch up, _non_? Come on, children, _allons-y_." She sweeps from the room with the two kids trailing after her. 

__Lafayette turns back to him, concern etched in the lines of his face. "What is the problem?"_ _

__Lex finally forces the words out, though they hurt like knives dragging up his throat. "Eliza cheated on me."_ _

His friend looks stunned. " _Ce n'est pas vrai._ " 

__"It's true, I'm afraid," Lex replies._ _

__Lafayette frowns, and for some unknown reason, Lex finally breaks down at the gesture. His body shakes with ugly sobs as he collapses into Lafayette's arms._ _

__"It's alright," Lafayette soothes as he runs comforting circles in Lex's back. "It's okay."_ _

__After a long while, when Lex has finally recomposed himself, he takes a deep breath. "Okay. Do you need help with anything?" he asks, pretending he's alright - though that's absolutely not true._ _

Lafayette plays along. "Ah, _oui_! If you could put these books on the high shelf? I cannot stand on a chair, because, well-" he gestures at his leg "-you know." 

__Lex does, in fact, know; he still hasn't forgotten that Lafayette has a permanent limp from the war. The guilt that resides in his heart won't let him._ _

__"Sure."_ _

__They finish decorating the room and join Adrienne in the kitchen, where she's chatting with Mattie._ _

"Ah, _mon amour_!" she exclaims as she catches sight of them. "And Alec, of course. We were just about to bake some cookies. The children are in the living room, if you could entertain them?" 

__Lex forces a smile and follows Lafayette out of the room._ _

  


* * *

  


__Eliza knows she's in trouble the moment a knock sounds on the door, fierce and unyielding. With a sinking feeling, she opens the door to reveal Angelica, who looks pissed as hell - and, she supposes, for good reason, too._ _

__Angelica pushes past her, sets her purse on the nearby table, and turns around, eyes flinty._ _

__"You."_ _

__"Um."_ _

"You have invented a new kind of stupid - a damage you can never, _ever_ undo kind of stupid, Eliza. I've said it to Lex before, but that had nothing on this!" 

__Eliza says nothing._ _

"Lex is the best thing in any of our lives - and he's already gone through so much more than anyone should have to ever go through in a lifetime. I love him more than anything in this life, Eliza, I will choose his happiness over mine _every single time_ because he deserves it. He deserves so much more than what _you_ gave him," Angelica spits, and Eliza still can't bring herself to say anything - because what is there to say? It's true. 

__"You were blessed with the best husband in the world, and what did you do? You cast his legacy as one of weakness and helplessness!"_ _

At this, Eliza needs to speak up. "That pamphlet was a _sacrifice_!" 

Angelica laughs, short and cold. "Sacrifice? What sacrifice have you to speak of? You, who stays at home, safe, while Lex goes to fight - while I go to fight, even. You, who sits by as Lex collapses so badly that he _leaves his work_. Do you know how bad it needs to be for him to do that? Do you know how much he's sacrificed already, how much each and every one of us has given for our lives? So tell me, Eliza, _what have you sacrificed_?" 

__"I-"_ _

" _Nothing_ ," Angelica hisses out. "You have given _nothing_. So don't talk to me about sacrifice, because there is no one - no one - who has sacrificed less than you in this nation." 

She takes a breath and draws herself up to her (rather formidable) full height. "You want to talk about sacrifice? Fine. For the rest of your life, every sacrifice you make had _better_ be for my brother. He deserves everything that you can give him and more." 

__With that, Angelica picks up her purse again and sweeps out of the house, leaving Eliza standing there in both shock and guilt._ _

  


* * *

  


Lex goes back to his house (not home, not anymore; he's not sure he _has_ a home anymore) a week later, completely unsure of the purpose of his visit. On one hand, he doesn't want to be in the building for longer than necessary; on the other, his kids are there. 

__And he never wants to be an absent father._ _

__His mind still isn't made up by the time he steps over the threshold, so he lets his feet carry him where they will. By some miracle, he manages to avoid any of the three people that do still live here and ends up in the attic._ _

__It's fairly dusty, and Lex feels slightly ridiculous standing in the middle of several stacks of papers, but then his eye catches on one page in particular. It's in his handwriting; when he lifts it up, the next sheet of paper in the stack is in Eliza's._ _

__He reads the writing._ _

_My dearest Eliza,  
I cannot even begin to express the amount of utter love that I hold for you in my heart…_

__With a growl, he crumples the letter, which sends a cloud of dust into the air and makes him sneeze._ _

__Footsteps sound on the stairs. "Who's there- oh."_ _

__Lex turns around to see Eliza in the doorway, a candle in hand, expression unreadable._ _

__When she moves to take another step, he brandishes the letter in his hand at her. "Don't come closer."_ _

__She stops. "Alec-"_ _

__"No!" he shouts. "You're not sweet talking your way out of this one."_ _

__"I wasn't-"_ _

__"Weren't you?"_ _

__Eliza sighs. "I'm sorry."_ _

__Lex laughs, an almost cruel sound. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Eliza." He pauses before finally admitting, "I loved you, you know? I loved you the way the moon loves the stars."_ _

__"I-"_ _

__"I saved every letter you wrote me," he barrels onward. "When they arrived, I thought you were mine and I was yours, and it would be us against the world together, forever. Do you know what Angelica said? 'Be careful with her - she'll do anything to survive.' That's what she said. And like a fool, I didn't listen."_ _

__"Alec-" Eliza reaches for him, perhaps subconsciously,_ _

__"Look at where that got me."_ _

__She falls silent._ _

__With shaking fingers, Lex takes his own candle and brings the yellowing paper to the flame. He watches passively as it shrivels and blackens into ash._ _

__"I'm leaving," Lex finally says afterwards, carefully avoiding her eyes by keeping them focused on the remains of the paper. "You can keep our children. I wonder how you'll explain to them the pain and the embarrassment you put me through? That you're going to put them through?" He feeds another letter into the candle. "Angelica was right. You really are an Icarus."_ _

__Eliza tries one last time. "Darling, I-"_ _

__Lex huffs bitterly and brushes past her, the rest of the letters tucked securely under his arm - he'll finish burning them all in the safety of the manor. "Don't."_ _

__She doesn't follow him._ _

  


* * *

  


__There are, as with everything else in life, good days and bad days for Lex._ _

__He tries his hardest not to give in to the bad days, because he’s well aware that Eliza’s infidelity is the thing that makes or breaks him, and he’s determined not to let it break him. The fact that he’s completely isolated from anything associated with her helps. Angel and Lafayette help, too, especially with the nightmares and flashbacks, though everything else is his own to bear. Regular trips outside at night - and when that's not possible, cooking in the kitchen - are ways he's come up with to distract himself as well._ _

__"Hey," Angel says one night, when none of them can sleep, as she appears in the doorway of his room. "Want some tea?"_ _

__"Yeah, sure, just let me get a coat on."_ _

__Lafayette's already in the kitchen, a single sconce lit on the wall, with his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea. The kettle is on the table next to him. Lex helps himself to a cup, the chipped china cold and familiar under his fingers. "Hey."_ _

__"Did I wake you up?" Lafayette asks in acknowledgement._ _

__Lex huffs in bitter amusement. "Like I was sleeping in the first place."_ _

__"Fair enough."_ _

__Angel pauses from where she's pouring herself some tea. "Let's go take a walk, yeah? I think it'd be good for all of us." Lex concurs, and the three of them set off for outside._ _

__Lex's eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness as Angel shuts the door behind them softly, careful to avoid waking up any of the manor’s other occupants. He pauses to let Angel catch up before they all head to the woods in the back._ _

__Lafayette’s a frequent guest on these nighttime outings, and he knows the way as well as Lex and Angel by now; this leaves them all free to travel in silence over the well-worn paths through the estate. It's peaceful in a way that very few things in Lex's life still are._ _

__They're deep within the woods before Angel speaks. "You know you need to go back to New York soon, right, Lex?"_ _

__He does, but he also doesn't want to think about it. "Unfortunately, yes. Why?"_ _

__"You should start packing."_ _

__She's not wrong, but it hurts just to think about. "Fine," Lex says, sighing._ _

__"You do need to go back to work, Alec," Lafayette adds. "I imagine having an absent Secretary of the Treasury cannot be good for Washington's presidency."_ _

__That's probably a stronger case for going back to work than anything relating to Lex himself, if he's being honest. Just the mere thought of disappointing Washington is objectionable. And besides, giving Jefferson and Madison the satisfaction of running him out of town is unthinkable. So back to New York he goes._ _

__Lex leaves the very next day. His shoes, clothes, quill and ink and parchment, candles, money, glasses, and a few carefully chosen books all get unceremoniously stuffed into the back of the carriage hastily as he finishes packing in less than an hour._ _

__He bids Angel and Lafayette goodbye - now that he thinks about it, they must be breaking at least ten rules of propriety by having Lafayette’s family living in Angel’s house - as the carriage rumbles along the road back to New York._ _

__Lovely._ _

  


* * *

  


__Washington worries about Schuyler, perhaps more than he should, and definitely more than he shows to all but Martha. And maybe also Burr, if the man's knowing looks are anything to go by._ _

__He calls Burr into his office one day, right after Schuyler gets back from his extended hiatus, and asks him to look after Schuyler._ _

__Burr responds, "I already am, sir."_ _

__"Good."_ _

__He thinks that'll be the end of it, but not quite. There are certain situations where just one person is not enough._ _

__For example - right now._ _

__Another cabinet meeting started earlier in the afternoon, but with the two sides at a deadlock, the meeting ran over. Now, candles are burning down in the sconces, and there's no sign of the meeting finishing anytime soon._ _

__Washington watches, bored, as Schuyler and Jefferson yell at each other typically, and Burr and Madison watch, silent, also typically._ _

__"-slaves need to be emancipated now! We wait until the nineteenth century and the slave population has doubled. You call this land of the free, Jefferson, you say 'all men are created equal' and yet you treat others as property. It's hypocritical, and you all know it." Washington knows that the words are, partially, directed at him and internally winces; his owning slaves is one of the few sore points between him and Schuyler._ _

__"Besides," Schuyler continues, "we all know why you don't want to free slaves - how else will you find your next mistress?"_ _

__"How dare you," Jefferson says in a low voice. Schuyler ignores him with well-practiced ease._ _

__"Mistress? Have you forgotten that your own wife is someone else's mistress?" Madison asks in a deceivingly light tone. "Perhaps you should watch your mouth before it runs too far off."_ _

__Schuyler stares at him in disbelief. "Rot in hell, Madison."_ _

__"Enough,' Washington says wearily. He's really in no mood to weather another screaming match._ _

__Schuyler shrugs. "Well, you asked how I feel, so-" He cuts off so suddenly that Washington takes a second to process why._ _

__There's a storm._ _

Normally, storms don't mean anything, but this is a full-blown thunderstorm. And thunder is _always_ bad news. 

__He blinks, and he's on the battlefield, cannons roaring; he blinks again, and he's back in the cabinet meeting room. Off to the side, both Schuyler and Burr have white-knuckled grips on the table, tension written in every line of their bodies._ _

__The thunder booms again. Washington fights to keep the memories from overtaking him._ _

Jefferson doesn't take advantage of Schuyler's sudden silence, perhaps surprised by the lack of noise. Instead, from what Washington can see, he's trading terrified glances with Madison, looking at a loss for what to do. Washington wants to tell them to _stay here, don't move, don't get anyone else_ but his mouth won't work no matter how much he tries to force it to move. 

__"Schuyler," he manages to croak, voice rusty. "Get him to the kitchens."_ _

__Madison snaps into action. "You're all going to the kitchens. Thomas, you get Schuyler and Burr - I'll get Washington."_ _

__Washington somehow finds it within himself to stand up, and with Madison's presence, he's able to keep his head above water. For once, he thanks the powers that be that Madison and Jefferson weren't in the war - at the very least, it keeps him grounded in the present._ _

__Jefferson has managed to get one arm around Schuyler and the other around Burr. The five of them make slow progress deeper into the building, having to stop frequently as each roll of thunder grows progressively louder._ _

__They make it to the kitchens without any major problems, thankfully, and as soon as Madison closes the door with his free hand Washington can't hear anything besides the clang of pots and pans anymore. Schuyler sinks to his knees, heaving for breath, but his eyes are clear and Washington knows that he'll be fine. Burr he's not too worried about - the man never truly went out in the field, and as such, his memories of war are far less vivid than Schuyler's._ _

__"What was that," Jefferson says flatly, turning the question into a statement._ _

__"War," Burr says shortly._ _

__No one says anything after that._ _

__They sit in silence on a bench until Schuyler's breathing evens out and he looks up, face flushing. "If you tell anyone-"_ _

__"I'm not telling anyone," Jefferson says without hesitation. Washington's glad to see that the man took his warning to heart._ _

__Schuyler doesn't seem to have the heart for an argument. "Good."_ _

A cook comes over with a plate of cookies. Washington _should_ be too old for this, but he can't bring himself to care as he reaches for one before passing the plate along. Burr declines, as does Madison; the two of them are so alike in personality that Washington sees double sometimes. It doesn't help that Schuyler and Jefferson are the same as well. 

__Eventually, Schuyler gets up and wanders over to the cooking area. Washington watches as he talks with the cooks, gesturing wildly with his hands, before stepping up to the counter with all the assurance of a professional chef. To his surprise, Schuyler seems to know his way around a kitchen._ _

__"He knows how to cook," Burr says, following his gaze. "It's rather necessary when one is a university student across the Atlantic."_ _

__"Oh, really?" This isn't an aspect of Schuyler's life that Washington knows about._ _

__Burr hums in affirmation. "Sorbonne, I believe. If I remember correctly, he says it helps him destress."_ _

__"Sorbonne? I didn't know he went to France," Jefferson says, interest piqued._ _

__"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he has a degree from that place, somehow, even though he was there as a foreign exchange student."_ _

__The conversation's interrupted as Schuyler calls, "Aaron, come help me over here!" Burr stands up and heads over with a semi-apologetic glance._ _

Not ten minutes later, Washington is called over as the two do… _something_ with a frying pan and instructed to "watch the kettle, it might boil." He can't help but wonder if he's really the most qualified person for the job - honestly, he's never seen a frying pan before today. 

__Jefferson and Madison eventually also get roped in, somehow, and Washington loses track of the time as they (well, mostly Schuyler) cook who-knows-what. In the end, they're all sweating, smiling, and, in one spectacular incident involving both Schuyler and Jefferson, nearly getting burned. Not that he's surprised in the least._ _

__The food turns out to be some French concoction that Washington can't even pronounce, much less recognize, though Jefferson perks up in delight halfway through as he recognizes what it is. "You can make that?"_ _

__"Of course," Schuyler responds, looking vaguely insulted. "Now go make sure the pastries aren't burning." Jefferson rolls his eyes but complies._ _

__When they sit down to eat, Washington's forgotten about the storm altogether._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lex divorces Eliza, of course. No one can fault him for doing so; after all, he's a Schuyler, and Schuylers have an honor to maintain._ _

__Angel laughs and cries and hugs him tightly when he tells her. "Good for you, Lex. Good for you."_ _

__He sends her a letter regarding the divorce. She responds with mostly acquiescence, and so Lex asks Aaron to schedule a court date (he would have done it himself, but as a party in the divorce, it would have been unseemly). Really, though, going to court is almost certainly a mere formality that makes everything official, because even if Eliza were inclined to fight him, public opinion is firmly on his side._ _

__Lex dresses in his second-best suit the day of. He's accompanied by Angel, Lafayette, and Aaron, and as they set off for the courthouse, he can't help but feel anxious to get it over with._ _

__The courthouse is packed, unfortunately; Lex is resigned to the press, perhaps because he knows very well how far journalists are willing to go to secure a story. It's always better to have them contained where he can see them than free where he can't. Still, he wants to curse as people shove their way in front of him as he wades through the crowd._ _

__The judge is a stern man, with graying hair and a weathered face. He bangs the gavel twice on his desk. "Order in the court, please!" Lex sighs as the room finally quiets down._ _

__"We are here today because one Mr. Aaron Burr has notified the court of Mr. Alec Schuyler's intent to divorce Mrs. Eliza Hamilton Schuyler. Is this correct, Mr. Burr?"_ _

__Aaron nods. "Yes, Your Honor."_ _

__"Very good. Let us begin. Would Mrs. Schuyler please proceed to the stand?" Lex watches as Eliza walks up to the front._ _

__"Mrs. Schuyler, are you aware of the divorce proceedings surrounding you and Mr. Schuyler?"_ _

__"Yes."_ _

__"Do you offer any objections to such proceedings?"_ _

__She shakes her head. "No."_ _

__"Is there anything else you wish to say at this time?"_ _

__"I would like to ask Alec to leave me a bit of money, just so I can stay afloat for a few months after our divorce, if that's alright with him." And even though Lex hopes he never has to see her again, he's still just the tiniest bit impressed by her comportment._ _

__"Your statement has been noted," the judge says. "You may return to your seat. Would Mr. Schuyler proceed to the stand?"_ _

__Lex stands up and makes his way forward, conscious of everyone's eyes on him. He smoothes out his face into a bland mask - it's something that he's picked up on from Aaron - and waits for the judge to speak again._ _

__"Mr. Schuyler, the court has received the terms of divorce. Please listen and affirm or deny each." He gestures at the clerk, who stands up, clears his throat, and starts reading pompously from a piece of paper._ _

__"The terms are set forth thusly: that Mr. Schuyler receives the house located under his name on Second Street within New York City-"_ _

__"Affirmed."_ _

__"-that all personal items bought under Mr. Schuyler's name or bank account are his, unless he explicitly states otherwise-"_ _

__"Affirmed."_ _

__"-that any outstanding debts in either Mr. or Mrs. Schuyler's name will be transferred to Mr. Schuyler-"_ _

__He's not so cruel as to leave Eliza in debt. "Affirmed."_ _

__"-that Mrs. Schuyler will keep all the contents of her own bank account, including but not limited to money, valuables, and stocks-"_ _

__"Affirmed."_ _

__"-that other than in public settings, Mrs. Schuyler does not have the right to approach Mr. Schuyler-"_ _

__"A modification, please," Lex says. The clerk stops reading and waits for the judge, who nods at Lex to continue. "Add Angelica Schuyler, Aaron Burr, and the Marquis de Lafayette to that list, but with a caveat that Mrs. Schuyler may approach any one of us in any setting in emergency situations only."_ _

__"Mrs. Schuyler," the judge asks, "are you agreed with the modified terms?" Eliza nods, and the judge bangs his gavel down. "Modification accepted. Clerk, please continue."_ _

__The clerk starts reading again. "-that upon finalization of the divorce, Mrs. Schuyler will take her maiden name, Ms. Hamilton-"_ _

__"Affirmed."_ _

__"-and that Mr. Schuyler receives full custody of both his children, Philip Schuyler the Third and Angelica Schuyler Junior."_ _

__"Affirmed." There's no way he'll ever give Pip or Angie up._ _

__The clerk sits down as the judge addresses Lex again. "Is there anything else you wish to add?"_ _

__"A term stating that Mrs. Schuyler is entitled to fifty dollars a month from my bank account for any living expenses necessary." Curse him and his bleeding heart, but even though Eliza hurt him in the worst of ways, he doesn't want to leave her destitute._ _

__"Mrs. Schuyler-"_ _

__"Denied. Alec owes me nothing, and I will not leech off of his goodwill." Out of the corner of his eye, Lex can see Angel's expression of outrage turn into one of grudging respect._ _

__"Mr. Schuyler, will you insist on this term?"_ _

__Lex shakes his head. "No."_ _

__The judge bangs his gavel against the table again. "Then let everyone here bear witness to the divorce of Mr. Alec Schuyler and Mrs. Eliza Hamilton Schuyler, now Ms. Eliza Hamilton. Court adjourned." The crowd dissolves into murmurs as Lex walks back to Angel, Aaron, and Lafayette, before they all head out of the courthouse, ignoring the countless shouting voices._ _

__"I'm so proud of you," Angel says quietly. Lex smiles and hugs her._ _

__As the carriage pulls away, he knows he should feel tired, but instead he feels light and relieved. His and Eliza's marriage was the last string tying them together, and now he's completely free. And even though Pip and Angie might be a reminder of what happened, he knows he'll never love them any less._ _

__With that in mind, Lex's thoughts turn towards the future. From now on, anything is possible._ _

  


* * *

  


__Lafayette's hands tremble, just the barest of shivers that are part of what he's found out comes with old age, along with horrible eyesight and eternally creaking bones, as he picks up the newspaper._ _

_War Hero, Veteran, and Noted Politician Alec Schuyler Passed Yesterday, Two Hours After Former President Aaron Burr,_ the front headline screams in its bold, blocky letters. He scans the article. 

_At age 74, Alec Schuyler died at his family house in upstate New York. He is survived by his two children, Philip Schuyler III and Angelica Schuyler Jr., as well as five grandchildren, two brothers, three sisters, and his former wife Eliza Hamilton. Aaron Burr, a close friend, is survived by his wife Theodosia Bartow Burr and daughter Theodosia Burr.  
At the joint funeral yesterday evening, Angelica Schuyler, former Vice President Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette all gave eulogies for the two men. They are buried in Trinity Church, Mr. Schuyler in the Schuyler family crypt and Mr. Burr in the Burr family crypt nearby. Both will be sorely missed, not just by their family, but by the entire nation that they dedicated their lives to. Read more on page 3._

__Lafayette sets the paper down and smiles wanly as he thinks about the death of two of his closest friends. Pip and Angie are, understandably, devastated, as is Angelica, about Alec’s death, and he knows that both Theodosias are similarly heartbroken._ _

__But as much as he shares their sorrow, he knows that Aaron deserves to finally rest, and Alec deserves to find the peace he spent his entire life searching for._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways...  
> First off, I'm very, very sorry for taking so long - I swear it doesn't take this long for me to write 18k worth of words. What happened was that I wrote Number Three, the third and final installment of this series, first, then realized it was Number Three and not Number Two, and then frantically scrambled to write this one. As an apology, I'll be posting Number Three tomorrow instead of the customary week of waiting.  
> Again - sorry!  
> -Leeny 
> 
> P.S. I have a [tumblr](https://eileeny.tumblr.com/)! Come scream at me if you wish, or ask questions, or whatever - I'm pretty sure I have an ask box?  
> P.P.S. Comments and kudos appreciated!


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